Building the first billion dollar women's sports franchise (and WNBA Champions)

Image Credit: Getty Image

All eyes have been on the WNBA finals this month with the star-studded Atlanta Dream squad facing off against a young Golden State Valkyries team in a thrilling 7 game series which concluded this Saturday. In dramatic fashion the Valkyries took Game 7 (68-63) becoming the fastest American Sports Franchise to win a title in the modern era. Online you may have seen clips of packed arenas filled with purple shirts, and that’s because over in the Bay Area history is being made. In the entirety of their existence the Valkyries have sold out every game at their Chase Center Home Arena (known by fans as “Ballhalla”)  which holds 18,000. They also became the first expansion team in professional basketball to make a playoffs in their first year, and are now the most valuable women’s sports team in the world valued at a whopping one billion dollars. 

"Ballhalla" Getty Images

If hearing all of these things made your draw drop, there’s more. The Valkyries have only been around for two years. To put that into perspective, it typically takes expansion sports teams close to a decade to reach these heights of success. So how were they able to do it so quickly? It started with a strong (all-female) front office including President Jess Smith, General Manager Ohemaa Nyanin, and Head Coach Natalie Nakasae. It also can’t be overlooked that the Valkyries are under the same ownership as their NBA counterpart, the Warriors. A strong community of Bay Area sports fans was already alive and well prior to the arrival of the Valkyries, and fans embraced the new team with open arms. What is emphasized time and time again regarding the success of the team, is actually the environment and community they were able to build. It’s uniquely tailored to the people of San Francisco through their fashion and music. Excitement comes from the atmosphere they’ve curated through their unmistakable violet color scheme, and the connection between players and fans. The success of their brand and the success of their team actually rub off on each other. Valkyries players have often referred to Ballhala as their “sixth man” energizing them during slumps, and encouraging them to keep up the intensity. Getting people to the game is one thing, but the energy is created by fans subscribing to the culture, both on and off the court. 

Valkaryies Point Guard Veronica Burton

The Valkyrie's set precedent for every expansion team that follows. Community involvement and competitive success are intertwined and feed off of each other, and a strong front office is the key to achieving these goals. The team is far from being star-studded and going into their inaugural season many of their players were untested and inexperienced. Take 2025’s Most Improved Player Veronica Burton as an example. Burton was nearly out of the WNBA before getting drafted by the Valkyries. She had been waived from previous teams, and played minimal minutes wherever she went. With the trust of Nakasae and her coaching staff however, Burton has become one of best performing point guards in the league, averaging the most minutes played out of any Valkyries Player, showing how the right system can completely transform an individual. There are many similar stories of players who experienced career revival at Golden State (Kayla Thorton, Kaila Charles, Laetecia Amihere), their roster is filled with players who have something to prove, the ones with chips on their shoulders. Coach Nakasae herself shares a story of resilience and perseverance. A walk-on at UCLA, Naksae (though only 5'2) worked her way up to becoming a starter and All-PAC-10 player. She would eventually go into coaching overseas, becoming the first female head-coach in the Japanese Men’s Professional League before moving to the LA Clippers where she would become an assistant coach. Naksae then spent 2 years winning back to back championships with the Las Vegas Aces, before finally arriving at Golden State where she would win Coach of the Year her first season. 

Now WNBA Champions, the Valkyries will embark on their parade this Wednesday. Their journey to the top can be best summarized through something (Finals MVP) Gabby Williams said promptly after their win. “All we heard last year, ‘We don’t have no stars, we don’t have no talent’ Yeah, right. We’ve got good people. We’ve got winners. We have people who are ready to put their bodies on the floor to win a game. ... We just build a beautiful culture here.”